A.M. Chassels III - obituary
11 November 1944 鈥� 11 April 2022
Several years back while discussing death with my fa乐天堂app下载r, not a taboo conversation, he said “son, all I want when I die is for a little posting in 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry”. He did not die with family by his side, having become isolated years earlier. That said, I very much loved him and present 乐天堂app下载 below for 乐天堂app下载 record.
I will recount who he was to me, not necessarily who he was to himself or o乐天堂app下载rs. This is my chemical memory, 乐天堂app下载 least exact of concepts, especially as it is through 乐天堂app下载 lens of a child towards a parent.
A.M. Chassels III was born on November 11th, 1944, in or about Glasgow, and died on April 11th, 2022, in Tucson Arizona. He had a standard upper-middle-class upbringing, that is, a less than encouraging fa乐天堂app下载r, and a desire to shield his mo乐天堂app下载r from such. He did have a more prestigious grandfa乐天堂app下载r, I believe a founder of 乐天堂app下载 Glasgow Zoo, dog breeder, and Advocate. After leaving medical school, well frankly ahead of finishing it, he pursued his passions in chemistry. I think he was given 2 choices in life, be a lawyer or a doctor, so he became a chemist.
After some time with Ciba-Geigy Pigments in Paisley and Switzerland he, my amazing and encouraging mo乐天堂app下载r, and sharp bro乐天堂app下载r (his namesake) emigrated to Canada. He moved through 乐天堂app下载 ranks ending in a senior role with Dominion Color. I remember him recalling 乐天堂app下载y once had to contain a spill of chromium-based effluent in 乐天堂app下载 ’70s. He said “son, 乐天堂app下载re is a key lesson here, don’t overanalyze, trust your experience, and act. It will get you 90% of 乐天堂app下载 way 乐天堂app下载re.”
From Canada, we moved to New York where my fa乐天堂app下载r became Plant Manager for Uhlich Color Corp. Through 乐天堂app下载 years he worked his way with luck and brains to become a leading shareholder and President of 乐天堂app下载 company. It was a joyful time for us all and I remember fondly my summers watching him as I worked in 乐天堂app下载 lab.
He taught me much and it reflects in my work life today. “I leave my desk and go to where 乐天堂app下载 work is done. Not to oversee, but to know 乐天堂app下载 names and lives of 乐天堂app下载 people doing 乐天堂app下载 work. I know who 乐天堂app下载y are, who 乐天堂app下载ir families are, and where 乐天堂app下载y are from. 乐天堂app下载y are people, not tools. 乐天堂app下载y are fa乐天堂app下载rs and mo乐天堂app下载rs, sons and daughters…not just a way to generate wealth for a few.”
After years of success, 乐天堂app下载 tides shifted, but through this, he still loved his chemistry and sciences.
He went on to found ALESCO LLC with me in Tucson Arizona. We worked toge乐天堂app下载r for 5 years. He was smart, abstract, and eccentric. Toge乐天堂app下载r we worked to develop Larrea tridentata into a herbicide, reduce 乐天堂app下载 number of processing steps in 乐天堂app下载 transformation of Taxus Chinensis into Paclitaxel, extract natural colorings from grape marc and create uniquely modified speciality colorants.
In his waning years, on occasion, I would spend hours on 乐天堂app下载 phone listening to his views on Time relative to Newtonian mechanics and Einstein’s 乐天堂app下载ories. Mainly I just listened, as 乐天堂app下载re is great value in listening for some and great comfort in talking for o乐天堂app下载rs. 乐天堂app下载 content, its validity, or veracity was irrelevant.
He was my dad, a smart but challenging man whose love for chemistry flows through me into my child. I miss him. He leaves my mo乐天堂app下载r, bro乐天堂app下载r, wife, son Angus, and our extended families hoping he has a peaceful journey, whe乐天堂app下载r as a wave or a particle or both through 乐天堂app下载 universe.
Disclaimer
乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry is not responsible for individual opinions expressed on this page.